Chapter Text
It's not the first time he's been in a post-apocalyptic universe.
Usually his device sorts out all the universes with unsafe apocalyptic conditions- contagious plague, ongoing assaults, world falling apart, the likes. Though that program isn't 100%. It sent him to Universe 328 after all, where the planet was literally breaking apart. Though he hasn't fallen into one where he was in immediate danger in a long time. Instead, he's brought to the safe-unsafe universes.
This universe seems to have been devastated already. The surrounding area is completely dead. It's at the point where he can't tell if the rocks on the ground are regular rocks or rubble. In the distance he can see the remains of what must have been a city- with only a few buildings remaining. The sky is a dark brown, highlighted by streaks of mute red.
A fiery apocalypse then.
He makes his way towards the remnants of the city. Nine had heard bits and pieces about Iblis- the god-monster of destruction that is destined to destroy Mobius. Before Universe 325, he had only heard the name. Now, he understands why a time traveler would be so desperate to change the past.
After walking proves to be difficult- the rocks get larger, the spaces between them are bigger, and he's 45% sure he's walking over one giant crack in the ground that the rocks filled up over time; he flies. Pulling a mask out of his pocket, he puts it on when his device detects high amounts of smoke and ash in the air. The view from the sky isn't much different from the ground. He was right about walking over a gorge earlier. It has a prominent outline and runs around the city, continuing on and on. Nine lands on top of a building that seemed somewhat stable, but also tall enough to give him a good view of the land.
There's no sign of this “Iblis” but it was definitely here. He has no idea how fast this thing travels, but his guess is that this destruction wasn't recent. At least, not recent to him getting here. In one direction, which is southwest according to his compass, the gorge that splits the earth continues for miles into the distant mountains. In the east is the rest of the destroyed city. Now looking at the layout from above, it definitely was a huge place. Residential areas sit more to the northeast, while business districts are scattered about the area. More tall skyscrapers must have been sitting side by side- but now only a few remain.
Though in the distance, he sees something strange. Further east of him sits what he previously thought was a large hill, but instead is collapsed rubble. Piles and piles of rubble. Why it catches his eye is because the pile looks like most of the rubble from the city. The remnants of buildings sit all over the place but he can see the outline of what he thinks used to be freeways . A lot of the debris should be sprawled all across the city- so it’s suspicious that a lot of it ended up in a ‘neat’ pile.
He goes to investigate.
It may seem stupid to. In the last apocalyptic world he traveled to, someone tries to not only rob him but also kill him. Though they immediately backed off the moment he shot a beam at them. Did it hit their leg? He can’t remember, and he doesn’t really care if that asshole lived or died. In that universe, he hadn’t really met Sonic. Only saw the remainder of his memory- carried on by the people that believed in him. He hadn’t stayed.
There have been quite a few universes where Sonic is dead. Not as many as the ones where he’s alive but still. He’s sure he isn’t traveling through time- he just…arrived at an inconvenient time. He tries to fly lower to the ground when crossing the gap between the still standing buildings and the mysterious pile- but also keeps high enough so nothing from the ground could reach up and get him. As he gets closer, his observations from before are validated.
Old roads, walls, roof material, concrete, brick, metal, all lay on top of one another. There doesn’t seem to be any structure to it. Taking a closer look only confirms the fact that all of the wreckage is piled on top of each other.
Flying back, he tries to find any spots of interest. The very front of it all is one of them. He hadn’t gone directly there because he didn’t approach directly from the east. The back of the pile rests upon a natural hill, so the very edges of those might provide some information. Landing back on the ground again, he hums while examining the front of the pile at a small distance.
Nothing immediately stands out about it. Maybe if he got closer-
“Are you trying to get in?”
Leaping to the air, he takes off and quickly puts some distance between him and the voice- of a kid. A kid, probably no older than six or seven, stands on top of rock. They looked very alarmed, probably not expecting Nine to react like that. He sighs, easily landing on another rock under him.
“I- I didn’t mean to scare you!” The kid says, looking nervous. “I just thought you needed help.”
“With getting inside?” He replies, keeping his voice even as to not scare the kid away. They’re wearing an assortment of clothes, one of them a brown robe almost as long as them. A black hood covers their head, but he can still see their silver fur and yellow eyes from underneath it.
The kid nods their head. “Are you…new around here?” The kid shuffles back a bit, as if preparing to run. “You don’t look like a G.U.N. recruit.”
Nine tenses as the name comes out of the kids mouth. Chaos, they still exist ? In this fucked up apocalyptic world? How ? Seriously, how ?!
“In no world would I ever work for them. They’ve caused me more stress and grievances than I can count, and I am secretly plotting their downfall.” Nine says with a sneer pointed at the ground. It’s always that organization causing issues in these worlds. How did someone like Shadow ever work for them?
The kid sighs, anxiety leaving them. “Ah ok. Good. Cause if you were, I’m technically supposed to hit you and run.”
“Sounds like a good plan. I’ve done that before, when their groups tried to capture me.”
The kid gasps, gloved hands lifting in closed fists near their mouth. “Really?! How did you not get caught?!”
“It pays to have a weapon.” He says, flexing his tails. The kid watches them in awe. He makes them twist and turn, even lifts himself up for a second. “So what are you doing out here?”
He watches as the kid tenses, before quickly pulling his arms back into the cloak. “Nothing”, is his meek answer.
He internally sighs. He doesn’t want to play this game right now. Best to get back on track. “Whatever. You mentioned I could get in?”
The kids nods. They point to the pile of rubble. “There's a maze at the start and a code you need to input that only residents know. I uh- I wanted to see if I could get in on my own.”
So it is a secret base. How clever.
“Can you show me or will you get in trouble if I come in with you?”
The kid shrugs. “Anyone is welcome- as long as you're not a G.U.N. recruit. Though the elders may run you through a trial, I dunno.” The kid pauses, staring off into space. Nine waits, briefly wondering if this is normal.
He tries not to act startled when the kid comes back to themselves. “But I’m sure my dads can help you get out of them!”
“Uh, ok. Sure.” The kid takes that as confirmation and starts climbing down the rock. Knowing how long and hard it was for him to get around, he uses his tails to climb over the rocks towards the kid. They look up in surprise when he lends a hand, but takes it regardless. He pulls them up and quickly takes off into the air. The kid squeals as he flies through the air, holding onto his arms with a tight grip.
They land, and while the kid looks frazzled as he puts them down.
“My name is Nine by the way.” He says. The kid doesn’t respond for a second, but then shakes their head and looks at him with a smile.
“Silver. Silver the Hedgehog.” They reply, taking their hood off. Sure enough, Nine sees five white quills frame the hedgehog’s head.
He internally cringes at having to work with another hedgehog, but doesn’t show it. As Silver leads the way, he wonders why their name sounds so familiar.